Medical, dental and veterinary students as well as more experienced doctors learning new surgical techniques must undergo extensive training before they are qualified to perform surgery on human patients. The training must teach the medical student proper techniques for cutting through various types of tissue, for clamping blood vessels severed during the surgery and for suturing severed tissue. In particular, the medical student as well as the other aforementioned persons must gain experience in suturing a broad variety of tissue types, including blood vessels, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and such.
The range of possibilities that are likely to be encountered by the surgeon are extremely great. For example, the contour of the portion of the body on which the surgery is being performed will vary greatly from one part of the body to another. The thickness and consistency of the various layers through which the surgeon must cut will also vary substantially from one part of the body to the next and from one patient to the next. Accordingly, the suturing requirements also will vary. The medical student also must learn to perform required surgery on blood vessels of various sizes and on tendons and ligaments having a range of possible sizes and tensions. The medical student must also practice suturing techniques both in readily accessible locations and in relatively inaccessible locations.
Some of the initial surgical training of medical students is performed on cadavers or on animals. However, both cadavers and animals for surgical training are relatively expensive. Additionally, many humane societies vehemently oppose the performance of unnecessary surgery on animals.
Certain teaching aids are available for one or more aspects of surgical training. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,865 which issued to Rowan on July 24, 1972 shows an aid to teach the suturing of tubular members, such as blood vessels, which are disposed in relatively inaccessible locations. In particular, the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,865 includes a board to which a longitudinally severed tubular member may be secured, such that the tubular member is generally parallel to the board. A relatively short cylinder extending perpendicular to the board is mounted over the tubular member. The cylinder is intended to simulate a body cavity in which the tubular member, such as a blood vessel, may be disposed. The surgical student may then practice suturing the relatively inaccessible tubular member.
Another teaching aid for surgical students is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,047 which issued to Landis on Mar. 23, 1982. The teaching aid shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,321,047 is primarily intended to teach the reconnection of transversely severed tubular members. The apparatus includes sensing means which will produce an appropriate signal when the respective halves of the severed tubes are appropriately connected to one another.
The prior art teaching aids for surgical students have several deficiences. In particular, with the exception of animals and cadavers, the prior art teaching aids do not provide the medical student with the relatively large number of different surgical demands that are likely to be encountered simultaneously or in rapid succession. Thus, while a teaching aid may train the medical student as to the techniques for suturing a severed blood vessel, the prior art teaching aids typically offered no simultaneous training as to the incision through the skin, fat and muscle tissue to reach the blood vessel that ultimately must be sutured. Similarly, the prior art teaching aids do not account for the likelihood that a portion of nerve, tendon, ligament, intestine or the like might also have to be severed and ultimately sutured as part of the same surgical procedure. Additionally, the prior art teaching aids generally were not geared toward teaching the surgical student to react quickly to clamp a blood vessel that may have been severed in the initial incision. The prior art teaching aids also generally were not geared toward the repeated practicing of very simple but important suturing techniques.
In addition to the technical deficiencies of the prior art teaching aids, there have been significant practical deficiencies. For example, the prior art teaching aids were not readily portable for enabling the student to use a particular teaching aid both at the learning institution and at his or her residence. Additionally, the prior art teaching aids were not well suited to carrying the various surgical instruments that would be used in practicing the surgical techniques.
In view of the above, it is an object of the subject invention to provide a surgical teaching aid that realistically simulates a broad range of circumstances that are likely to be encountered during actual surgery.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a surgical teaching aid that simulates a large number of parts of the body and that facilitates replacement of the various components of the teaching aid after repeated use.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a teaching aid wherein the size, shape and tension of various portions of the teaching aid can be readily adjusted.
Another object of the subject invention is to provide a teaching aid that is easily portable.
Still another object of the subject invention is to provide a surgical teaching aid that can readily store various surgical instruments that may be employed in using the teaching aid.
In addition an important object of the subject invention is to provide to all students of surgery, i.e., medical students, interns, residents and practicing surgeons and veterinary surgeons, the opportunity of acquiring virtuosity which can only be achieved by repeated exercises or long hours of practice on such a drill board or on animals or patients.